updated 08:05 am EDT, Mon June 9, 2014

Microsoft's rumored smartwatch has allegedly been spotted being tested in New York City, according to a report that claims the watch was caught in public a few months ago. The report states the wearable device had an elongated form, similar to the Samsung Gear Fit in terms of appearance, with a flat display on a curved casing designed to fit closely to the wrist.

GearLiveclaims the smartwatch uses the flat tiled style that Microsoft uses in Windows 8, Windows Phone, and the Xbox One, though the display used was apparently not a high-resolution version. A heart rate monitor, accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS are included in the device, with the watch band said to include a built-in galvanic skin response sensor, while connectivity with a smartphone is performed over Bluetooth 4.0 LE.

Samsung Gear Fit

While a number of elements of the report are questionable, such as the time delay before being written about, and the denial by the user claiming it to be a "random fitness wristband ordered from China," the report overall could be plausible. Sources of Forbesrecently claimed the device was being worked on by Kinect engineers, and had a considerable health monitoring focus.

How many people want a gadget that'll nag them to (as above) "Take a walk!"? Not many I suspect.Industry pundits may call them smartwatches, but nag-watches might be more apt. They'll be like elaborate exercise equipment, bought out of guilt but almost never used.